Jamal Lewis - cut bait?

[lmcjaho]

Okay - so I took the chance that Jamal could return to form this year and I (so far) wasted a 2nd rounder on him...

After 6 games he's got 326rush/70rec/2TDs total...

Is there any consensus on when the Ravens will give up on him and go to Chester Taylor instead? I don't want to get caught with Lewis on my team when Taylor gets the nod, but until that time there is really nobody out there worth dropping Lewis for (even as bad as he's been) so I can't jump the gun and dump him now...

Ravens fans and anybody else - any idea how much longer the Ravens are planning to continue this farce? Taylor has looked much better in the limited action he has seen - obviously it's hard to say if he will keep it up with the starting job (backup to starter transition doesn't always work out) but at what point is Billick going to be forced to give it a shot?

[DbacksAllTheWay]

Don't cut him yet, I think he will pick it up very soon, or atleast i hope so.

[Bowie]

I was looking at dropping Lewis for Taylor today, but could not bring myself to pull the trigger. He is, however, not starting for my team again this season until he proves he deserves it.

[The_Dude]

The worst part in all of this is that Billick actually stayed with Lewis yesterday as the feature back, feeding him the ball over and over again, and not spelling him for Taylor - Taylor only had 2 carries.

This from Fanball:

Oct 24 Ravens coach Brian Billick wasn't real happy following another lifeless performance by the running game in a 10-6 loss to the Chicago Bears on Sunday. "We have to be able to run the ball to be good, there's no two ways about that," Billick told the Baltimore Sun. "The most disappointing thing was our inability to sustain anything running the ball." Starting running back Jamal Lewis was so ineffective averaging just 2.3 yards per carry that the Bears didn't even stack the line to stop the run.

Views: The Ravens face the Steelers twice, Bengals twice, and Jaguars once over the next five weeks so clearly the schedule isn't going to get any easier for the ground game. For fantasy owners who invested an early pick in Lewis we are as frustrated as you are. If his lackluster play continues, the Ravens will have no choice but to work backup Chester Taylor into a more significant role.

Jamal has a nice playoff schedule against Minnesota and Green Bay, but I think the chances that he's still the starter in week 15 are slim. Taylor has simply been more effective. Even in his two runs in the Bears game, he outperformed Lewis - 2 carries for 21 yards (1 for 7, 1 for 14).

But that's just my opinion - although, I am a Lewis owner, and someone else snagged Taylor in the draft before I could handcuff him. So, I feel your pain. I don't think Lewis is droppable right now, given that he has almost no trade value, there's always the possibility that he turns it around, and the waiver wire is sure to very thin right now if you play in a competitive league.

If you believe a deity, now's about the time to be asking for help on this... otherwise, you're stuck holding onto this seeming dead-weight who has found himself a permanent position on my bench.

[SniperShot]

They gave him plenty of chances yesterday. I think the Ravens passing game needs to step it up for his production to increase. They just stack the line and so far it's causing the Ravens some big problems. I think you should hold on to Lewis because his big games will come at the most unlikely times.

[The_Dude]

They gave him plenty of chances yesterday. I think the Ravens passing game needs to step it up for his production to increase. They just stack the line and so far it's causing the Ravens some big problems. I think you should hold on to Lewis because his big games will come at the most unlikely times.

This from Fanball:

Oct 24 Ravens coach Brian Billick wasn't real happy following another lifeless performance by the running game in a 10-6 loss to the Chicago Bears on Sunday. "We have to be able to run the ball to be good, there's no two ways about that," Billick told the Baltimore Sun. "The most disappointing thing was our inability to sustain anything running the ball." Starting running back Jamal Lewis was so ineffective averaging just 2.3 yards per carry that the Bears didn't even stack the line to stop the run.
Views: The Ravens face the Steelers twice, Bengals twice, and Jaguars once over the next five weeks so clearly the schedule isn't going to get any easier for the ground game. For fantasy owners who invested an early pick in Lewis we are as frustrated as you are. If his lackluster play continues, the Ravens will have no choice but to work backup Chester Taylor into a more significant role.

I think the problem is more severe than you make it out to be.

[Teh Jury]

They've gone back to the I-formation now... has Jamal's starting fullback gotten back into the lineup yet?

[FatFoot]

Hey, I've been a Jamal apologist for too long. I'll be starting Fisher over Jamal next week, if need be. Something's wrong, and 6 games into the season is enough to fix it, if it can be fixed. I think at this point, that any huge run game Jamal has this season will be the exception, as opposed to the rule. I do not expect him to be a factor at all this season, and yes, this screws with my playoffs.

[PACKman1144]

Last game Billick being the stubborn egotistical maniac he is was set on playing Lewis non stop no matter what the result. Chester Taylor got only like 2 carries I believe but they were much better than any of Lewis', one, two yard gains. But Lewis is not the one to blame. The o-line has been pathetic. That is the reason he been so bad. He does look tenative but there is just no blocking for him to run behind. Until the line is fixed up Lewis most likely won do much.

Also IMO Taylor is only successful because he is a change of pace back in contrast to Lewis. He still may be the better runner, but he catches the defense of guard after Lewis lulls them to sleep.

[The_Dude]

Last game Billick being the stubborn egotistical maniac he is was set on playing Lewis non stop no matter what the result. Chester Taylor got only like 2 carries I believe but they were much better than any of Lewis', one, two yard gains. But Lewis is not the one to blame. The o-line has been pathetic. That is the reason he been so bad. He does look tenative but there is just no blocking for him to run behind. Until the line is fixed up Lewis most likely won do much.

Also IMO Taylor is only successful because he is a change of pace back in contrast to Lewis. He still may be the better runner, but he catches the defense of guard after Lewis lulls them to sleep.

How can it be the o-line's fault when Lewis' performances are consistently below Taylor's?

I might buy the argument that Taylor was being successful as a change of pace back this week, but how do you explain the numbers against Cleveland when Taylor carried 8 times and averaged 11.5 yard per carry, while Jamal averaged 2.5 ypc.

I was also a big Jamal apologist early on and I really need him to succeed to win my league, but I'm not getting my hopes up. He's being outplayed by his backup and has to face BRUTAL defenses in the weeks ahead. The Ravens stop and start with the run, so if Taylor can get yards where Jamal isn't, they should be starting him.